Planet Of Sound

With all the accolades that were deservedly heaped on War Of Attrition after he ran out of his skin to finish second in the Punchestown Gold Cup on Wednesday, there is a chance that some other performances in the race have gone a little under the radar. Planet Of Sound for starters, he put in a huge performance to win the race, going on far enough out for a horse who had never been over the trip before and keeping on really well to win, ears pricked, possibly with a little bit in hand. Philip Hobbs’s horse was a classy novice last season, he finished third behind Forpadydeplasterer and Kalahari King in the Arkle despite making a bad mistake at the first and playing catch-up from there, and he has looked good this season when his jumping has held up, notably when beating Cornas and Twist Magic in the Haldon Gold Cup.

The fact that he now stays three miles opens up significant options for the Kayf Tara gelding. He has raced just 10 times over fences, he is progressive and he can be even better over three miles than he was over two and a half, and he has to be a leading contender for the King George in December even at this stage.

21st April 2010

© The Irish Field, 24th April 2010